Wednesday, October 23, 2013

I was blown away by a story recently from a mother of one of my former Brigade
boys. Almost a year ago now we were getting ready for our first annual
community party. As a promotion for this event we had an inflatable bouncy
house for our first Wednesday night meeting. During the course of jumping
around a Sophomore attempted a back flip (which you aren't supposed to do in
those) and he landed with the full weight of his body on his neck. His neck was
sore but he did not tell anyone.

CSB
has been partnering for the last several years with the Iron Sharpens
Iron Ministry to sponsor Equipping Conferences for men. I was privileged
to lead a team of men to launch a new conference this past month in
Rochester New York with an attendance of 504 men all thirsty to hear the
word of God and to be challenged and equipped to run with endurance the
race to which we’ve been called. I opened the conference with a verse
and challenge.

"Therefore,
brothers, be diligent to confirm your calling and election, For if you
practice these things, you will never fall." 1 Peter 2:10

I
then related falling to fumbling - that we as husbands, fathers, men -
fumble and drop the ball often. When a running back is prone to
fumbling, the coach sometimes makes him carry it all day, during
classes, lunch - and never put it down. So I asked one man from each
age group who came to this conference with the intention to gain the
tools necessary to stop fumbling in a specific area of his life to come
up and take the ball. Before I introduced our speaker I gently asked
for the balls back at the end of the conference. When I went to the
back, one of the men came up to me and asked if he could keep the
football. He told me that he has a 12 year old son and he has dropped
the ball and hasn't been in his a life in any significant way. He wants
to be back in his life and to be the Dad he needs to be. His son came
to the conference with him, and they had a great reconciliation day and
he asked for the football as a reminder. I was almost in tears, and
said of course he can keep it!

The
revivals that last don’t begin with eruptions of emotion. They begin
like this, with one father hearing the gospel call and responding by
turning his heart toward his son. Please pray for this man and the
countless men like him who now know they have fumbled the ball and
desire in the strength that God gives to run with endurance the race
that has been set before him.